Cardinal Dolan, Bishop Barron to serve on Trump’s new religious liberty commission

If the papacy doesn't pan out for Cardinal Dolan, he can return and join Bishop Barron and Dr. Phil on Donald Trump's newly formed religious liberty commission.

Read all about it at Catholic News Service

Uh-oh. Donald Trump Names His Dream Successor for Pope Francis Ahead of the Papal Conclave

After proposing that he, himself, should be successor to Pope Francis, Donald Trump suggested that Cardinal Dolan be given the keys to the kingdom.  

This would be untimely for St. Mary's, as the Dicastery for the Clergy recently revoked the Cardinal's July decree extinguishing St. Mary's as an independent parish and reducing it to a secondary church in the parish of St. Denis-St. Peter.

Most sources have not included Cardinal Dolan on their shortlists of "papabile," but God works in mysterious ways and so do other forces.

Read all about it in People.

Results of Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) 2024 Diocesan Finance and Governance Reviews

 

The Archdiocese of New York's Missing Link

"Information previously available on other diocesan websites simply disappeared in 2024 for no apparent reason. For example, the link to the financial summary of the Archdiocese of New York disappeared between 2023 and 2024. As a result, New York lost 25 points between 2023 and 2024 and received a 2024 score of 12 points out of 100. This was the lowest score of any diocese in the USCCB."

Read all about it courtesy of PR Newswire.

Father Eugene and Parishioners in National Costume

 

Photo courtesy of Laima Mihailovich, far left.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa is Crux's 'Papabile' of the Day

                                              Photo credit: Vatican Media

In the run-up to the conclave, Crux will profile one of our potential Popes each today.  Today's choice is Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, thus spiritual leader of St. Mary's Arabian congregation, The Parish of the Good Shepherd.

Today's profile was written by John Allen who presents a brief bio, personal and professional, and the pro's and con's of his electability.

Read all about it on Crux: ‘Papabile’ of the Day: Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa 

Preston High School Saved!

Two weeks after Letitia James held a town hall to address the very unpopular closing of Preston High School, Preston is saved.  Per the NY Times, pressure from Attorney General James and other elected officials tipped the balance.  

The Sisters of the Divine Compassion have accepted an offer from Bally Foundation to purchase the school's 2 buildings for approximately $10 million.  Bally will lease the premises to the school under a 25 year lease at a cost of $1/year to the school.  At some point in the future the school will disengage from the Sisters of the Divine Compassion and seek a relationship with another religious group.

Read all about it in the NY Times for perspective and context:  Jennifer Lopez’s Alma Mater to Stay Open as Nuns Sell to a Casino Firm

From Attorney General Jame's site: Attorney General James Saves Preston High School in the Bronx

Mourning Pope Francis

Of all the Popes since I became aware of my memory, Pope Francis is the Pope to whom I had the strongest emotional attachment.  His soft-spoken first words from the balcony, his choice of the name "Francis," his membership in the Society of Jesus and most importantly his attention to the social teachings of Jesus served to give him one of the remaining soft spots in my heart.  And then there was his endearing demeanor and the way he responded to critics and detractors.

While I had always hoped to encounter him face to face, it never happened even though I sang alto as part of the Archdiocese of New York Festival Chorale when he said Mass in Madison Square Garden on September 24, 2015.  The choir and orchestra were seated in a pit, behind and below his chair.  My fellow chorister, Mike Sweeney, managed to procure the Pope's half-full water glass from the table next to the chair.  After passing the glass to share the contents, Mike brought the glass home where it is now kept behind glass as a potential relic.

Here is video in which the camera sweeps over the sopranos (why do those divas always get the attention?!) as we perform the Agnus Dei (Cordero de Dios) from a Missa Breve composed by Monsignor Abel di Marco.

Patriarch of St. Mary's Arabian Community is on Pundits' Short list of Potential Popes

Closely following Pope Francis' death, the pundits have begun their speculation regarding Francis' successor.  One of the papabiles on several shortlists is Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, a title given him in 2020.  Prior to that he served as Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate, the capacity in which he visited St. Mary's in 2017 on the day of First Holy Communion.

Here is some information about Cardinal Pizzaballa from Wikipedia.

Here are some articles speculating about his papal potential

• Politico, "Who are the favorites to succeed Pope Francis?"
• The Guardian, "Who will be the next pope? Some potential candidates to succeed Francis"
• NY Times, "Who Will Be the Next Pope? Here Are Some Possible Contenders."
• Axios, "Papal betting markets put their money on the next Pope", at the time of this post, 4/22/2025, 4:35 PM EST, Cardinal Pizzaballa is 3rd, trading at 10 cents.

Good Friday at St. Mary's

 

Good Friday at St. Mary's culminated in a live Via Crucis through the local streets where many of the parishioners live.  This was the first time I have done anything like this and it was a profound experience.  First, seeing ushers transformed into centurions and a fellow parishioner assuming the burden of Christ.

The procession began after the service of the Lord's Passion, which was an event in itself.  The Spanish choir in their red shirts were back in force and sang with feeling.  Their hymns were long, plaintive and hypnotic. Kevin sang and played familiar hymns from the loft as the numerous faithful came forward, first, to venerate the cross and then to receive Communion.

The Stations of the Cross traversed a route down Broadway, up Park Hill, down New Main to Main, down Main to Riverdale Avenue and back up Prospect to the church.  The end point was the small lawn in front of the school which had been set up for the crucifixion.

Each of the 14 stations was enacted along the route.  I lived in Yonkers from age 12 to 25, so for me the procession was taking place in 3 times: the present, the time of Christ and my youth in downtown Yonkers.   By the time Jesus was scourged in front of Sneaker King I was tired, mesmerized and well ensconced in the surreal.

When we reached Golgotha in front of the school I felt sleepy, my lower back ached and my knee hurt.  I wonder how the man portraying Jesus felt.  The day had turned cloudy and a wind blew up, so I wondered if he was cold and if he ached from the vigor of the choreography and the weight of the cross.  The cross he was carrying appeared to be made of wood.  Ultimately he was hung on it, so it must have been quite heavy.  Whatever he felt was a fraction of the suffering of Jesus.  By the time he said "It is finished" and Mary held his inert body I had to hold back tears.  We all left a little bit transformed and one step closer to God.

Video of the entire procession can be viewed HERE.

Good Friday

 

Channel 12 Westchester Covers St. Mary's Easter Miracle

The Vatican rarely revokes decrees made by the leaders of dioceses and archdioceses. It really does feel like a miracle and a testimony to the power of prayer: the prayers of the faithful before during and after Mass, the prayers in the garden of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Rosaries said by Izzy every Sunday where he stands on the corner facing the statue of Our Lady in the rectory garden. Ever since they heard that the future of the church was in jeopardy the people of St. Mary's carried on with their ministries and prayed fervently and constantly. The archdiocese can appeal this decision and may decide to follow another path to their desired outcome but for now this feels like a sign, a very good one.

Watch News 12 item "St. Mary's in Yonkers gets 'Easter Miracle' from Vatican"

The Dicastery for the Clergy Issues a Decree in Favor of St. Mary's (Parish of Immaculate Conception) in Yonkers

On May 31, 2024 Cardinal Dolan issued a decree merging St. Mary's with the parish of St. Peter-St. Denis.  At this point, St. Mary's ceased to exist as a parish but became a secondary church in the parish of St. Peter-St. Denis-Immaculate Conception.   The Mass schedule was subsequently reduced to one English at 10:00 AM on Sunday.   The Arabic Mass continued every Sunday, but this congregation is a separate parish, the Parish of the Good Shepherd, and is part of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.  According to some parishioners plans are afoot to move the congregation to another church in Yonkers.

In an effort to restore St. Mary's as a parish,  on June 8, 2024 three St. Mary's parishioners appealed to Cardinal Dolan to reverse his decree.  When the appeal was denied, in accordance with canonical procedure, the parishioners submitted an appeal to The Dicastery for the Clergy, an office within the Vatican that "... deals with all matters relating to priests and deacons of the diocesan clergy, with regard to their persons and pastoral ministry, and everything needed for the fruitful exercise of the latter. In these matters, it provides suitable assistance to the Bishops."  This action was taken on July 23, 2024.

Recently, the parishioners received a decree from the Dicastery for the Clergy revoking the  merger issued by Cardinal Dolan.  According to the decree from the Vatican, St. Mary's is once again a parish.  

Per the decree, the Archdiocese has the option to appeal this decision before the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the highest court of The Holy See.

Palm Sunday at Saint Mary's

 Every liturgy at Saint Mary's is special because of the care that every ministry puts into their work:  the ushers, the altar servers, the Eucharistic ministers, the lectors, translators and the organist.  On Palm Sunday it was extra special.  The picture above shows the congregation outside the school.  On the steps, out of sight were four little angels dressed in white.  The youngest kept jumping off the bottom step of the school as if he was testing his wings.  A perfect mix of the human and the divine.